Thursday, December 22, 2011

What It Means To Be A Teacher

Growing up, my friends always told me that I would be a good kindergarten teacher. I never agreed! I always thought teaching a child to read was the most important thing you could do, and if I messed that up I could ruin them forever. Originally, I went to college to teach high school. Then, I put school on pause, married, became a foster mom, and adopted three great kids. Finally, I returned to college in my late 20’s to fulfill my calling to become a teacher—a kindergarten teacher! Guess what? I can teach a child to read!

When I was five years old, I told my mom that when I grew up I was going to be a teacher. Family members asked me, “Are you sure? You won’t make much money.” I think if I had denied my calling, I would have denied a piece of my soul, a part of the reason I was created. I tell people teaching is not so much what I do but who I am. As a teacher, I look at things differently…everything in life is a teachable moment.

Teachers wake up every day and put on their big girl panties or big boy boxers, and they hit the ground running. They live life understanding that each day they face children who love them, dislike them, appreciate them, and go against them. Yet, no matter what these children do teachers care about their futures and love them. With each new year comes new challenges, but it also brings new victories. and I am blessed to be a part of education.

What does it mean to me to be a teacher? It means breathing, inspiring, living, loving, playing, praying, pretending, and of course TEACHING!

What is a Teacher

by Crystal RadkeTeaching every child no matter what their needs.

Extending your family, finances and time to make a difference.

Allowing others to teach you and to help you to be the best you can be.

Changing the world one child at a time.

Hugging each child, so they know they are loved.

Educating the next generation to become positive, contributing members of society.

Reminding yourself that you are making a difference even when it’s tough, time consuming, and overlooked.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a teacher is “one whose occupation is to instruct”. That’s it? Does anyone else think the definition needs to be revised? Being a teacher is much more than instructing.

Thinking back to why I became a teacher, it had nothing to do with a desire to instruct. Instead, it had everything to do with enjoying being around children and wanting to have an impact on their lives. Yes, my general job description is to teach the standards that my state mandates and to make sure that all students are successful, but what is it that teachers really do? As a kindergarten teacher, I tie shoes, solve arguments between friends, teach children appropriate ways to behave, remind students to use manners, help students learn to work together as a team, and then I get to teach the material they need to learn.

As a kindergarten teacher, a certain part of my job includes teaching children how to behave in school along with how to get along with others. Yet, students walk away with more than social skills. Students leave at the end of the school year having developed self-confidence and critical thinking skills, as well as knowing they can be leaders.

I challenge you to think about a teacher who meant something to you and to think about what made that teacher stand out. Was it the perfect lesson she taught about Columbus? Was it the way she taught you long division? Was it that she truly cared about you? Maybe she taught you to believe in yourself. Perhaps the reason a teacher stands out in your mind is because of her character or the person she helped you to become rather than her classroom lessons and instruction. If true, what does this mean for teachers of today?

A teacher’s purpose is not only to instruct students and to disperse knowledge but to equip them with skills needed in the real world. Whether in kindergarten or high school, there are skills students learn in school that are needed later in the real world. Think about the students you teach. How many years until they graduate? Maybe 2 years, maybe 10, maybe 12 or 13. What kinds of jobs will your students find once they graduate high school or college? Chances are your students will be doing jobs not even in existence right now. As teachers, we are not merely instructing students, but we are forming thinkers, problem solvers, and leaders.

Teachers have tremendous impact on their students. They walk into classrooms with a refocused mission. Their job is not just about preparing students to pass state exams or AP tests. Their mission is to equip students with skills needed to be successful in life. Teachers show students they care, encourage them to think, help them to be great problem solvers, and transform them into leaders.